The House GOP is set to invite Prime Minister Netanyahu for a Joint Session of Congress, where he will have the opportunity to address Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
This came a day after Chuck Schumer called for a regime change in Israel, signaling his open hostility to Netanyahu. Mike Johnson is doubling down, hoping to force Progressives to advance their pro-Hamas views. NPR reports on Mike Johnson’s invitation:
“I would love to have him come in and address a joint session of Congress. We’ll certainly extend that invitation” to Netanyahu, Johnson said on CNBC’s Squawk Box. The speaker has not issued any official invite or picked a date for an address.
The invitation comes as the months-long Israeli war in Gaza has highlighted a shifting debate on Capitol Hill about U.S. support for Israel, its longtime ally. There’s a long tradition of bipartisan support for Israel in Congress, but in recent months there’s been a growing divide among Democrats about the U.S. policy toward Israel. A bloc of progressive lawmakers has called on the president to condition aid or restrict U.S. aid to focus on humanitarian assistance for the civilians in Gaza affected by the military operations. Israel has defended its operations, citing it is right to defend itself following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people, with more than 250 people taken as hostages. Israel’s operations in Gaza have killed more than 30,000 people.
Schumer claims that his call for Netanyahu to step down and call for new elections is to protect Israel from the world’s anger. Israel has a Parliamentary Democracy, where elections can happen before scheduled ones. Liberal Democrats still believe that they can chart a middle ground with Israel, while the US has been its most important ally in blocking United Nations resolutions. Fox News says:
In his remarks, Schumer implored Israel to hold new elections and warned it of becoming a “pariah” if Netanyahu remained in power. He claimed Netanyahu had “lost his way by allowing his political survival to take the precedence over the best interests of Israel.”
Republicans slammed his speech as “unprecedented” and “ridiculous.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accused Schumer of “interfering in the democracy of a sovereign ally.”
Netanyahu has faced pressure from Democrats before, notably during the Obama Administration when he attempted to overthrow Netanyahu. His personal relationship with Trump could play a role here, as his recognition of Biden’s victory in 2020 has soured Trump.
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